boom

“these are for you.”

the soft pink carnations were wrapped delicately, a long, perfectly tied bow adorning the stems. the nice lady at the flower shop made sure they were handled with care, knowing exactly what they were for without you even saying anything. (though how she knew, you had no idea. hell, you didn’t even know. you just wanted to get steve some flowers. wasn’t that a normal thing to do for a friend?)

but you weren’t friends. you barely even knew each other. still… he was kind to you, and you wanted to return the sentiment.

the boy stood in the doorway, a striped polo shirt and jeans fitting his body snugly. he looked handsome, more handsome than usual. and his hair, styled by hairspray or whatever it was that he used, looked soft, a few stray strands tickling his forehead. you feel your heart stall in your chest as he stares at you in wonder. or was it shock? or repulsion?

he then glanced down at the flowers in your outstretched hand, his eyebrows furrowing. you can’t help but worry at your bottom lip, teeth gnawing at the skin as his silence continues.

you pulled the flowers back into your body, blood rushing to your cheeks as embarrassment and rejection coursed through your veins. you inwardly curse yourself for knocking on his door in the first place, not knowing what to do now that you were standing in front of him.

“they didn’t have any other colors,” you blurt. you were lying through your teeth. of course they had different colors! it was a flower shop! “i just—well, i wanted to thank you. for the other night, i mean. you, uh…” your eyes dart around, not daring to meet his.

you think you want to crawl in a hole and die, anything to save you from his piercing stare. god, why did you come again?

“you didn’t have to join me,” you finish. “at the diner. i know it probably wasn’t your plan for the night and i guess i… felt bad?”

a few more beats of silence and you think of turning away, of moving to another country where you can pretend this rather awkward interaction never happened. you could even go by an alias, change your hair and style so that no one could ever recognize you and laugh in your face for embarrassing yourself in front of this very attractive boy. robin would never let you live this down, you’re sure of it. 

but before you get a chance to sprint, he clears his throat.

“you, uh, got me flowers?”

you pause and then outstretch the bouquet once again.

“brandon harris ditched me,” you stammered, “and when you saw me sitting at that booth alone, it’s like you knew. you bought me a milkshake. said that assholes like that don’t deserve dates with pretty girls.”

you glance up at him once again, trying not to falter under his stare. 

“it’s the least i can do, really. you saved me from those pitiful stares the waitress was giving me.”

he chuckles at that and finally takes the flowers from your hands. his fingers brush yours and you jerk yours back, bringing them up to scratch an itch that wasn’t there.

“they’re carnations,” you breathed. “they express gratitude, thankfulness.”

his finger trails one of the flowers and you try not to watch as it gently traces the shape of the petals, try not to watch as he smiles slightly.

“a girl has never gotten me flowers before,” he stated. 

“no?” you questioned. it was a soft murmur, a question that wasn’t meant to be answered.

you can’t see why not, not as the sun warms the smooth planes of his face, as it enhances his eyes, making them look like freshly made honey. you can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to give him flowers, why anyone never went out of their way to.

“no,” he confirmed. “haven’t had any luck finding a nice girl lately, but,” he scratches the skin above his eyebrow. “you don’t need to feel bad,” he said, and after noticing your confused expression, he continued on. “about me buying you the milkshake. i meant what i said. brandon’s an asshole for not showing.”

“oh.” it was a whisper. “right, yeah. he’s an asshole for sure.”

“right.”

“right,” you echoed.

and because you’re already at his house, because you’ve already dug a grave for yourself, because you’ve gone past a place of no return, you blurt: “would you wanna go on a date with me?”

you don’t know who’s more surprised, you or him. 

you just asked steve harrington on a date and now he’s looking at you like you’re the eighth wonder of the world. 

you need to renew your passport.

your mouth continues, even when your brain is begging it to stop.

“there’s this spot at the skatepark i go to; it’s the perfect place for a picnic. what do you say? i make a mean ham on rye,” you offered.

if he rejected you, you wouldn’t be able to show your face again. you’d be shunned into confinement, tucked away in the safe enclosure of your room. you would never leave the house, would never see your friends again knowing that your uncontrollable word vomit ruined any chances you had with steve, and—

“i would love to.” his reply stopped your racing thoughts. “is tomorrow okay? noon?”

“yeah,” you laugh breathlessly. “tomorrow at noon is perfect.”

there are a few beats of silence and shared smiles before you dry your clammy hands on the denim of your jeans.

“okay. well, i guess i’ll see you tomorrow? don’t want to keep you from,” you wave your hands around wildly, “whatever it was that you were doing.”

“no, yeah. yeah, i’ll see you tomorrow.” he leans against the door, fingers rubbing the invisible stubble on his chin as he watches you slowly back away.

“cool,” you respond, your voice raising an octave too high. you were on cloud nine.

steve clears his throat, a smile twisting his features into something too lovely for this world. “cool.”

“bye!” you smile, giving him a small wave as you reach for your car’s door handle.

“bye,” he finished, though he knew you couldn’t hear him, couldn’t hear the giddiness he felt brewing inside of his body, ready to explode like a ticking time bomb.

and after watching you frantically open the door to your car and drive away, albeit a bit recklessly, he closes the door and grabs the phone that was off the hook.

all audio comes from this jenna marbles' vid

edited audio from this video